Flew out to Spain for a week and so far the weather has been gloriously hot.

With no email access at the villa, I´ve been working on my dodgy laptop, finishing off editorial on recent spa trips. Surprising how much work I can get through when I´m not dealing with the 60 plus emails that pop into my inbox daily.

The next edition of Spa Wellbeing includes an account of my week at the Viva Mayr health clinic in Austria, where guests undergo a strict detox and learn a new approach to eating and health.

Talking of Viva Mayr, look out for The Viva Diet Book – 14 days to a flatter stomach and a younger you,  published by Harper Collins this month.

Viva Mayr´s founder Dr Harald Stossier teamed up with Helena Frith Powell, former serial dieter and author, to explain the simple principles of the diet‚ and why following it makes perfect sense. Dr Stossier and Helena share their experiences of following the diet with rare insight and humour‚ telling you what to expect‚ how to avoid any pitfalls and how to reap the benefits of looking and feeling better than you have done in years.

If you can´t visit Viva Mayr this summer, buy this highly readable book instead!

Catherine

I couldn’t write my blog in Singapore due to technical reasons (laptop crashing whenever I tried publishing a post). So I just took lots of notes for future features about the trip which will be appearing shortly in Spa Wellbeing.

I’ll also be covering the fantastic spa on board Arcadia – which I had the pleasure of using on several occasions, as we cruised from Singapore to Sydney. Again, I intended writing the blog from the ship, but what with my laptop crashing and the ship’s satellite system often being down, it just wasn’t possible. I intend to invest in a new laptop shortly, so I can blog without problems on my travels.

Since returning from Oz, it’s been difficult getting back into my usual working routine. So many emails to deal with, post to sort out and other matters needing my urgent attention.  As soon as these are  sorted,I’ll be catching up on all my features – so watch this space!

At least I’ve had some inspiration this week. I visited the Liz Earle Treatment Rooms in Chelsea and tried out the new Signature Facial – a truly relaxing treat! Look out for my review of this lovely treatment and of Liz’s newly publshed book in Spa Wellbeing.

In the meantime,  let me know about any new spas you have tried, and whether they lived up to your expectations. Fashion journalist Liz Jones was highly critical about spas in yesterday’sDaily Mail.  Did you read her article and do you share her opinion? (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1167830/LIZ-JONES-Most-spas-overpriced-cramped-big-possible-hidden-gems.html)

Until next time – enjoy these lovely spring days and the blossom on the trees.

Catherine